Vaporizer



P; O. ROWLANDS.

VAPOHIZER.

APPL'ICATIOVN' FILED APR. 9, 191,91

- Patented 1160.111921;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

VAPQRIZER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1919.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Illa..

UNITED STATES PATENT ePrice.

7 vAPoRIzEn.,

Application led April 9,

To all lw 710m t may concern Be it known that I, Pintor Corni/rus Row- LANns, a subject of the King of England, and residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented Improve ments in Vaporizers, of which the rfollowing is a specification.

This invention has reference to the feeding of liquid hydro-carbon-eand more particularly such as have a greater specific gravity than gasolene, as kerosene or the likeand its conversion to a vaporous or steam state, for use primarily as a power fuelfor combustion in internal combustion engines of self propelled vehicles, motor-boats and the like; and it also relates to the Asystems of converting the liquid fuel to a vaporous or steam state, wherein it is supplied to downwardly inclined conductor whereon it is heated by heat produced in the converting or vaporizing apparatus by the combustion of fuel-of solid or gaseous or other formtherein, and either directly or indirectly, and vaporized or converted to the steam state in its flow down the conductor, and is conducted thence directly to the engine, either `by the action ofthe piston thereof, or its pump as the case may be, and used therein in any known suitable way. Further,l the invention is more especially directed to, and capable of being advantageously used in connection with a system of the kind referred to where the liquid hydro-carbon to be vaporized or converted to the steam state is supplied to the vaporizing apparatus by suction created in the vaporizing apparatus by the induction or drawing-in action of the engine piston.

@ne forni of apparatus, which is convenient and advantageous, for carrying out the system of vaporizing liquid hydro-carbons of the kind referred to, is that in which solid fuel is burnt within a container having connected with an inclined conduit, preferably of helical forni, heated by the heat due to the combustion of the solid fuel within the apparatus, to the upper part of which the oil or liquid fuel is supplied7 in flowing down which it is vaporized or converted to the steam state bythe heat of or within the conduit; the apparatus having a liquid fuel supply apparatus or .device as hereinafter described. adapted to supply liquid in variable quantity in the manner above described. And this apparatus may be of a type in which the conversion of the oil to the vaporous or steam state is eected partly Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

i919. serieu No. 288,875.

byiheat conducted to` it by the heat ofthe conduit down which it flows itself, (which heat is produced by the combustion of fuel A' within the container or furnacev proper of the apparatus). y y Instead ofthe oil being supplied by a pump or gravity as stated, it may besuppliedI through a float regulated device, by which the constant level referred to is maintained.

ln the drawings hereto annexed, an oil feeding and vaporining apparatus is shown partly in section; Fig. 2 is an outside eleval tion partly in section; and Figs. 3 and 4 yare details hereinafter described. V

Referring now to they drawings, the oil feeding devices are generally designated 0, and l represents the container for holding the solid fuel having on its wall exteriorly7 two helical conduits 2, the upper faces of which incline upward from the exterior of Athe wall of the container.

Atfthe bottoni of the container is a fuel supporting grate 3, beneath which is the ash l hex or chamber el, into which the ashes fall, and which may be Vassumed to be closed below,y while air is supplied to the upper part ofy it through an air inlet conduit 5, which v has upon it an air regulatingshutter or device G shown in Fig. 3, so that more or less air can be supplied to the fuel in the container by opening orl closing this shutter or damper more or less.

AIn the case of the application to a selfpropelled vehicle internal combustion engine, the inouth of the conduit 5 (or the open end of aypipe on it) is so disposed as to face the current of air which is produced by the fan which is used in motor vehicles in connection with their radiators,s0 that when the engine is running, air will always he being blown on tothis inouth or pipe end, as

the case may be, and so that 'the draft in vthe vaporiaing apparatus 1s not entirely dependent upon the natural draft created by the combustion of the fuel.

Outside the conduits 2 is a cylindrical "nular space 7 between the container 1 and the casing 8, `to pass down through the latter.

K In the case shownthe air is Supplied to the space 7 through a conduit 9 and it is taken away from the apparatusv throughV a Vdischarge branch 10, which is connected up with the induction pipe or conduit of the engine which the apparatus is attached, or the supply pump 0f same.

Part. ofthis air, therefore passes helically down through thel part of the space' 7 be- Y tween the convolutionsv of the conduits 2, and

part between the space between the edges of the conduits and the interior of the casing 8; and in flowing through this space it is heated by the hot surfaces over which it passes; and the oil is vaporized partly by the heat of thek lconduits 2, due to the heat of combustion of fuel in the container 1, and partly by the action of the air flowing over these conduits.

The inlet of the conduit 9 to the annular space 7 and conduits 2, is ata point removed from the points at which the oil is introduced; and the parts are so arranged and -the vaporizing apparatus.

adapted that the streams of falling oilA from the oil feeding devices, on to the surfaces of the helical conduits 2, are not interfered witlf by this inflowing stream of air; that is, the oil feed takes place in a quiescent part of the heating apparatus, remote from this air linlet conduit 9.

The container 1 is extended a considerable height above the upper portions of the vaporizing conduits 2 as shown; and this upper part, marked 1U", forms a species of hopper or reservoir for the solid fuel; while the oil supply devices are situated on a flange 12 of the container 1, which lies above the annular vspace 7, into the upper part of which the oil delivery pipes of the oil feedin@ devices, project.

liegarding the oil feeding devices O, in the case shown, these are adapted to be supplied with liquid by a pump, and they each comprise an induction nozzle device 13 disposed within, and projecting `up into an internal thimble 14 closed at its upper end in the casing 15 ofthe device, between which is an annular space 16, which communicates with the interior of the thimble 14C byr apertures 17 in the bottom of the thimble 14C.

Gil is supplied to the annular space 16 from the pump through'a conduit 1S, leading into the upper part of it; and excess of oil above the maximum amount required is always delivered to the device,V the surplus flowing away through a conduit'19, the over-l flow lip or weir 20, of which stands slightly `that the oil will pass downwardly through the opening 13, and a vacuum cannot form l within the upper end of the thimble 1d to prevent this downward feeding, since air can enter the'sp'ace 16 through the conduit 19, as its bore will not be completely filled with the discharging oil. f It is toV be assumed that when the engine is not running the oil pump will be stationary, and only when the engine is turning y around is oil delivered by the pump to the `oil feeding devices.

In action, according thedegree of suction created by the engine -or its pump within the annular space 7, varies, so will the mean pressure acting upon the surface of the oilin the thimble le, vary (the entrance head of the nozzle 13 being submerged) ;V and so will vary the quantity of oil which will be fed on to the conduits 2; and therefore the amount of vaporsupplied to the engine will 'automatically vary according to the oil supplied to the vaporizing apparatus. The degree of suction createdin the space V7 will be governed by the speed of the engine, and the degree of opening of the throttle valve or equivalent regulating device employed in the conduit between the inlet valve of the engine, and

Then the minus pressure in the feed or fuel feeding devices would be arranged so that its inlet or orifice is slightly belowthe overflow lip or weir 20, the head resulting from this difference of level thus suppleinenting a difference of level or pressure in the thimble. 14, due to the suction acting on the device created by the engine or its pump.

If only a portion of the air used to support combustion of the oil vapor inl the engine is admitted to and passed through the vaporizing apparatus, there may be' used on the conduit connected with thebranch 10 and extending to the inlet valve of "the englne, a separate air inlet means, which is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4.

The said connecting conduit is marked 22, and has within Yit the regulating throttle valve 23; and air is admitted to this conduit by a contracted or tapered inlet tube 24, the

surplus liquid fuel discharge, and a closed,

chamber above and inclosing said entrance Aaperture and into which the liquid is fed by gravity; substantially as Set forth.

5.1In a liquid fuel vaporizer of the character described having a vaporizing conduit to which the-liquid fuel is delivered adapted to Vhave created vvithin it a pressure less than that ofl the atmosphere by a pump or engine to be fed by thevvapor produced; a liquid fuel feed conduit, the entrance aperture of which is disposed above the delivery part, aclosed chamber above and inclosing saidA entrance aperture and into which the liquid Aflows by gravity; a second liquid chamber communicating with thesaid closed chamber'to Which latter chamber the liquid passes by the communicating aperture or apertures, and an overow conduitin the second liquid chamber adapted to keep a con-y duit level of liquid in the latter chamber at a constant level, substantially as set forth.

6. In a liquid fuel vaporizer of the character described having a vaporizing conduit to which the liquid fuel is delivered adapted to have created Within it a pressure less than that of the atmosphere by a pump'or engine to be fed by the vapor produced; a liquid fuel feed conduit, the entrance aperture of which is Adisposed above the delivery part, a closed chamber above and inclosing said entrance aperture andV into which the liquid flows by gravity, aV second' liquid chamber communicating- With the said closed chamber to which latter chamber the conduit in the second liquid chamber diff posed at a level above that of the aperture in the feed Vconduit dovvn which'tlie liquid flows to the vaporizing conduit, and adapted to keep a constant level is maintained in the latter chamber, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof l have sioned my naine to this speciiication in the` presence of two subscribing Witnesses. i y PERCY OCTAVIUS ROWLANDS. Witnesses:

A, M. HANNAY, SoMERvILLE GooDALL. 

